Thoughts about Right Speech

Did you ever listen to yourself? The other day, I opened the refrigerator and a container of blueberries fell out all over the floor. After a moment of complaining while picking up the rogue berries before the dog ate or stepped on them, my husband asked me why I was wasting my energy getting upset over such a small thing. Good question I thought and I continued to ponder my thinking and its outward expression, my speech. What came to mind is that my mother often reacted to sudden spills and surprises in that way, although she often calmly negotiated the bigger things. I suspect my maternal grandmother was the same way. So where do our thoughts and our words come from? You got it! We pass down our thoughts to our children through what we say. Most of what we think is not original; it was given to us as a child by an adult. So listen to yourself, your internal as well as spoken words. That is what you are teaching your child. Since we are entering the season of rebirth, there is great potential for change at this time. If you start by paying attention and then recognize a habit of thinking and speaking that you would like to change, decide what thoughts you would like to tell yourself and practice them. That internal conversation will be reflected in your speech and ultimately, your child’s thoughts and words. What would you like to hear?